HANGOUTS @ ABU

Abu is a place of true nature and cool climate. On The height of 1500 mtrs, it hardly matters anything else then the natural ambiance, the chill climate, the high rise mountains surrounding you, the moist air, the multicolor sky and the greenery all around.

Addons to this, there are many places for Hangouts at abu. to keep you in the mood of good food, boating, tracking, skating and lots more.

To start with, the best place in town is the Nakki Lake, 1 kms from the bus stand. This is the Place where a visit is a must, otherwise the visit to abu is incomplete. The whole peripheral of the lake is about 2.5 kms, with well covered with trees and high rocks. Attached to the lake is a garden with the Boat house, where you can hire a Boat for a memorable ride in the lake. On the peripheral, there is a spot named as "FIT POINT" , beautiful place with well placed benches facing the river for a nice chit-chat hangout. Facing to the fit-point, there is a newly made "Bharat Mata Temple", only of its kind in India.

Near to Fit Point, there is a Man Made "Fish Aquarium", clubbed with a restaurant with some nice refreshments. Near the entrance, there is a nice kettli "tea shop", Lucky by name. So with the Pizza Round the corner of US Pizza and the tea, its a nice hangout on the bench of the lake front. If you not in the mood for the pizza's or the tea, there are many softy shops to enjoyself and you can try "Anil Refreshments -By the Lake" for the best softies in town.

For the other Hangouts near taxi stand like Sankalp "the only south indain chain in town", or Cafe Coffee Day, and even if you want to try some delicious pizzas, Uncle SamPizza is Neary by.

For the core punjabi and junk food, there are the hangouts like Abu Restaturant, Arbuda Restaurant, Chacha Cafe, ChaCha Inn - one of the finest cusine in the town with a beautiful garden ambience.

Last but not the least, for the private praties, there is a disco theek "Volcono", best tea in town is at Delwara -Hira Bhai Tea.

here the life is BEYOND kInGsize...

Diwali @ Abu

Countdown has begun!!!....

All the hoteliers are busy enough to get the maintenance done before the season, market is on the high rush, shopkeepers and vendors are setting up to add up new things for this festival....

Lots over is done here to celebrate the festival, to add a new taste for this season, everyone out here is rushing down to complete their maintenance just before the festive week.

The tourist season in Abu, is one of the best and the longest season that is to be observed in a year. The season starts from the next day of Diwali and last for almost a week. This season is most important for everyone here is because lacs of tourist comedown for a small vacation, as if in Gujarat, they observe a complete close, that adds a benefit to the place.

The whole city is well decorated, well illuminated with many events down the whole week to keep the tourist fully entertained during their stay at Mount Abu. Many troops are invited to perform like different kind of road shows, stage shows, folk dance, and above to that, many activities are done involving the tourist like skating race, tug of ware to keep them in the mood of the festival.

The city gets overcrowded around 5 to 7 times its capacity of availability of food and shelter. The hotels rates are the highest this season, prior booking before visiting Abu is must, because it happens, tourist lands up without reservation and finds no accommodation at any cost and is helpless and have no option rather then sleeping in his car or rent a place in a corridor without a pillow.

The fireworks round the city is a add on the beautiful ambiance created. It is a lifetime experience, that having a ice cream in one hand, and on the other your camera to catch all the beautiful moments around.

So do come down and feel the season, the festival which is celebrated with thousands together, just confirm your reservation and feel the noise of crackers with thousands smiles.

Wish U A very Happy Diwali and a happy New Year !!!!!!

Higher Kodhra..

Higher Kodhra Dam, "if you want to see heaven, do visit this place".

The dam is called higher because there are two Dams at Mount Abu, the one near Gaumukh is named has higher or upper Kodhra, and the other one at St. Mary's School is named as Lower Kodhra. There are two ways to reach the Dam, one from the way of the water works, and another from the camp site, near Hanumanji Temple, at the entrance gate of Gaumukh Ashram.

The exciting and adventurous trip is from the way of the camp site. At the camp site, the forest department has come up with idea of tenting and camp fire in the middle of jungle, with the prior permissions. The Locality is created on the flat mountain foothill, with the pond nearby, surrounded by huge mountains, lot of campfire wood, bushes, trees and luck to see some wild animal, in the dark nights.

Moving Ahead from the camp site, you have to climb the mountain to reach the Dam. The Route is stony, muddy, very slippery in between the thorny bushes, you need to walk about 1 mile.

On reaching the top, your body feels the blowing mist air, dense, moist humid ambiance surround by a large water body in front of your eyes, making you fall in true love of nature. One has the feeling that heaven can be no better then that place. One side there is the dam wall, edged with the huge mighty stone. As the flowing water of the dam, is cornered with the mountains which are densely populated with wild trees an thorny bushes, no man made structure can been seen except the dam wall, in the deep dense wood.

The clouds in the season are below your eye level. The wild animals like bear, snakes are seen very often drinking water, or taking nap in some shadow area. Rocks differently carved, add on the beauty to the place. Your echo can be heard in the valley. But before the sunset, you need to return, because there is always the fear of wild animals.

'Chal Chale Kahin, Bheed se Bekhabar, kahin aisi hi jagah... jo jannat si lagge'

Gaumukh-Ma Fav place in abu

GAUMUKH -GURU VASHISHTH ASHRAM

Gaumukh is about 3kms away from town. The place cannot be covered in your routine sight scene era, as almost you need a half day to visit this place. The road is in between the woods, surrounded by the Aravali Range, touches the edge of Rajasthan to the highway for Gujarat.

Reaching to the place, is itself a fantasy, and the place is just heaven. Deep into the jungle, you need to climb down for about 75o stairs." yes, itzz a place, where we need to go down the hills". The stairs are well constructed, with proper masonry walls, so no fear of falling down in the valley. The downstairs are well cluttered with bushes, trees and huge rocks. different kinds of fruits can be found on your way, to keep u well feed. Certain kinds of fruits can be found like, mangoes, blackberries, falsa, bae'r and karooonda(the local fruit) which are dam mm tasty.

On reaching Downstairs of about 700 steps, there is a pond of Natural unknowing water. It is natural, because it is pure and it is coming straight from the Aravali mountains. On the other hand, itzz source is still a suspense, because till date, nobody is able to find itzz source. No matter how drought is in abu, weather there were no rainfall, the water supplied in this pond regularly round the year. The water is so pure and sweet, that we cannot stop our self away from drinking.

The cow is considered a sacred animal by those who make religious pilgrimages to the Gaumukh Temple and a spring that is believed to have emerged from the mouth of a rock that is shaped similar to a cows head. A large marble statue of a cow has been built on the site. The bull is representative of Nandi, who was Shiva’s vehicle. There is a stream of water that flows from the mouth of the marble bull. that is the reason the place was Christianize as "GAUMUKH".

The Gaumukh Temple was built in its location as a dedication to Guru Vashishth. It is believed that Saint Vashishth performed a yagna there that created the four major Rajput clans. There is also a tank that you should visit- the Agni Kund. The Agni Kund is believed to be the site of a sacrificial fire which Saint Vashishth used to perform the yagni from which the four clans were born.

Fifty steps to the pound is the main Guru Vashishth's Ashram, this is the place where the PANDAVA's, on their exile took lectures from Guru Vashist. In the temple you will find statues of Nandi, Saint Vashishth, Lord Ram and Lord Krishna.The Ashram is said to be about 5500 years old. The Place is so beautiful, surrounded by high rising mountains, with clear call of true nature. the ambiance is so clean and silent, that one gets mix to the silent green ambiance.

All the facility is provided by the Shadus, if you wish to stay for overnight in the Ashram. You can cook your own food if wish, using the jungle wood, all the utensils are provided, but you need to carry all grains and vegetables for your convenience. Food is too provided by the Ashram, if you are staying back with no arrangements.

The worst thing is going back, looking at the mountains where you need to climb, is little challenging, but it is a great fun.

So Come and feel the place.

For more on Ashram VISIT @ http://www.gaumukh.org/


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Abu @ 40 degrees

Hello Friends... Something unique and shocking to read about MOUNT ABU...
Yes, very true.. the thermometer is reading 40 degrees...
It is first time in the history, mount abu is facing so much heat during summers. It is very difficult to measure the difference between a hill station and the busy city roads. The Heat is just penetrating to the skin, not only to make your color dark,but its an indicating alarm for the future seasons of mount abu.

The pinching heat just started after the mass forest fire around the aravali range few days back. Its is almost an month now, but forest guys are unbale to take a 100% control over the forest fire. The raw rocks of the Aravali Range, are just tasting the taste of the direct sun, and getting hot, making the ambiance very very hot.

Tourist this year decreased to 70% comparing last year, because of the high rising mercury in the town. Not only locals but the tourist are also not able to make the difference of the hot city to a hill station like mount abu.. which is just known for itzzz alll chill pilll seasons..

Last but not the least... we all are waiting for the showers to make the people chilll this monsoons.. or people has to face not only heat but the draught next year..

Corruption - On The Name of "Supreme Court's BAN"

Hiii friends... i know that i m too late to start with the issue of corruption of city municipality, But there is always a hope for a new beginning.

To start with the issue of the Ban of Construction at Mount Abu.

With the ban, all the officers out here of both the offices(including municipality and the SDM office), had set up their shops to allow illegal construction in the city. Legally u cannot repair your bath room, and on the other hand, u can build bungalows, multistory apartments, if you had paid a good amount in the office.

The story does not only end here, the officers have become the almighty of the town, they say "we are the owners " itzz all with them, the powers to justify everything, weather it is against the law. They have stop allowing the building materials to enter in the city area, without the prior permission of the commissioner. As, in India people has right of "free trade anywhere" in India, regarding, they are not trading prohibited goods. Above to that, the local business alliances has a order copy of the Court, that they are permitted to do the trading of building materials, without any interference in any manner,but the officers, deny the court orders.

To the question that, being the ban of construction from the supreme court , why so much, construction is been done at Mount Abu, instead of stopping the people to construct illegally, why are you stopping the trade?, its being the same thing that don't allow the bar to sell liquor cause after drinking the customer can be destructive? Answer to this was given in a very polite way, that it is there duty to see, what is right what is wrong, people have no right to interfere in there work.

This make clear, officers are blind in making money, hoteliers and people who has money can get their job done, as they say, they pay them..
But, is anybody there to hear the local voice.
the voice of the local people who wants to get his bathroom repaired, want to add one more room because his son is getting married, or no. of family members has been increased in last 15 years of ban,and he needs a room. What he should do??